Do You Really Know What and Who You are Voting For?
July 2024
Before I moved to Florida eleven years ago, I spent most of my life and career in Southern California. As a Fortune 150 business leader and mother of two active boys (who now have children of their own), voting in my local elections was about as close as I came to getting involved in politics. It was completely taboo to discuss politics at the office back then, and I had absolutely no idea where my workplace compatriots stood, from a political point of view.
Yet, as the mother, wife, daughter, granddaughter, and great-grand daughter of U.S. military veterans, I’ve long considered myself to be a steadfast patriot. I’ve always flown an American flag in front of my house, and I never missed voting in our primary or general elections.
But did I really know what or who I was voting for and why? Not so much.
To be candid, any knowledge I had about the candidates or ballot initiatives was primarily thanks to the state of California. The state, back then, mailed out voter pamphlets to all registered voters which provided 1) the position statements of judicial candidates, 2) the full text of any ballot initiatives and proposed state constitutional amendments, and 3) the pros and cons of each ballot measure, as prepared by various civic groups—like the League of Women Voters, the John Birch Society, and so on. Reading those pamphlets from cover-to-cover was the extent of the homework I did prior to voting. Once candidates were elected, I couldn’t even tell you the names of our County Supervisors or State Assemblymen/women, nor would I recognize any of them if they came knocking on my front door.
Despite our dedication to making our voices heard as voters, my husband and I became increasingly disillusioned with our once beautiful, peaceful, and prosperous home state. While we loved living in our charming little cottage by the Pacific, the quality of life beyond our sublime island community was declining. Taxes were climbing ever higher. Traffic was terrible at any hour. After establishing my small business, it became clearer than ever that our state government was only interested in enriching itself.
What a wake-up call that was. So, we voted with our feet and moved out-of-state.
Once settled into our new environs—and free from corporate dialog censorship—it became my full-time job to establish new friendships with people who shared similar life philosophies and political views, starting with our immediate neighbors. Then I asked those in political alignment to connect me to some of their like-minded friends by way of email introductions. Virtually everyone was delighted to do so. I subsequently followed up by sending all these new connections an invitation to a wine and cheese get-together in my home. Amazingly, over 60 people accepted my invitation.
Turns out, very few of them knew each other. For the first hour, these well-mannered guests graciously carried on polite chit-chat with each other. But eventually my husband cornered me in the kitchen with a warning, “These people are asking when you are going to speak.”
Speak?
“This is just a cocktail party!”
I hadn’t planned to speak until he then whispered, “Some think this is a fundraiser.”
A fundraiser? How on earth did they get that idea?
“Well, I don’t want to disappoint them. Guess I better go speak.”
So, I walked into the living room and stepped up onto the raised hearth where I could see everyone. After introducing myself and thanking everyone for coming, I broke the ice with, “First of all, I want you all to know that this is NOT a fundraiser.”
With that, there was a noticeable collective sigh of relief. People immediately relaxed and responded with relieved smiles. Now that I had their undivided attention, I explained that I simply wanted to meet some nice like-minded people. I then suggested, “If there is anyone in this room you haven’t met before, you now know that you all have at least one thing in common. Please introduce yourselves and enjoy getting to know each other!”
From that point on, the mood of the room was effervescent. People began engaging in more inquisitive dialogs, sharing their points of view. Before the end of the evening, one guest asked if I would mind getting everyone’s attention so they could make an announcement.
“This has been the best party I’ve ever been to. Let’s all give Deb a big applause for bringing us all together and for hosting such a fun event!”
Others chimed in with comments like, “We should do this more often!”
“Maybe we could do this once a quarter and bring in expert speakers!”
“Let’s do this every month!”
“I’ll volunteer my house!”
Instantly, people were volunteering their homes, their car-barns, and even their private airplane hangars if I would simply agree to coordinate the events. With that, We the People of Northeast Florida was born.
For nearly a decade now, I have hosted monthly get-togethers in various spots around our community. Our group now boasts over 800 members. There are no membership dues. We are not affiliated with any political party. We simply meet monthly to learn about and discuss matters of importance to our county, our state and our nation. Our overarching goal is to motivate and enable folks to be knowledgeable voters.
We have speakers at every event, ranging from elected officials and think-tank experts to legal scholars, best-selling authors and beyond. During every primary election season, we host candidate forums for every contested position on the ballot—from County Commissioners and School Board members to judges, state legislators, Congressional representatives, and more.
Best of all, our members now personally know virtually all our elected officials and candidates, and we understand the pros and cons of our ballot initiatives. It’s especially comforting to know we can reach out to our elected officials to ask questions, offer respectful feedback, and solicit their support for key issues. Collectively, we reap what we sow.
I truly believe this is what our Founding Fathers had in mind when they established this nation.
I highly encourage you to develop this kind of thing in your own community, if such an organization doesn’t already exist. Not only will you come to know precisely what and who you are voting for, you’ll make terrific friends. Together, you’ll be better able to make positive, impactful, and lasting differences within your town, your county, and state.
Local is where it begins.